Special Edition Morrow County Fair & Rodeo Heppner Gazette-Times, Wednesday, August 6,1997-Page 9
Olson act will keep audiences spellbound
Wood on Wood
invites you to help us GROW
Tell us w hat you have in mind, and w e will
build it!
Legacy of Wild West lives on
with 75 years of rodeo history
To make space for new products. we offer you 25% off
selec ted itemsin Itie store during Fair and Rodeo Week
wne’e tne W
I D SHED was ne xt to Tw r. e upo n a time
*676-5886“
First Queen
Morrow Co Rodeo
1922
MARJORIE CLARK
Jerry Wayne Olson and “Chief
On the north end of the Black
Hills, eight miles east of Belle
Fourche, SD, sits the home of
Jerry Wayne Olson. But during
the rodeo season, his home is
many different rodeo arenas
across the country. He has per
formed from Mexico City to the
Northwest Territory in Canada,
from San Francisco to Madison
Square Garden, San Juan, Puerto
Rico to the Florida Keys.
Jerry is a third generation ro
deo performer. His grandfather,
Larue Olson, began the tradition
with the renowned buffalo act,
never to be duplicated. His father,
Jerry, Sr., is well known through
out the country for his Roman
By Merlyn Robinson
riding, bullfighting skills and the
buffalo act. Jerry Wayne began
his career at the tender age of 18
months, riding on his father’s
shoulders during the Roman
riding act.
Jerry has always enjoyed train
ing his animals to do the most
unique tricks, as demonstrated by
his talent and years in the per
forming arts. A highlight of his
career was being chosen Specialty
Act of the Year in Pro Rodeo in
1988.
The excitement will flow from
the arena as Jerry brings us his
highly trained horse, “Dude.”
Through many hours of training
and bonding, this duo will amaze
you with their ability to commu
nicate together as one. Dude,
completely free of rider, bridle
and saddle, will listen and watch
as Jerry controls his actions from
across the arena floor.
The third generation Olson has
kept audiences spellbound with
his performing expertise and the
renowned buffalo act with
“Chief.” This stately and awe
some animal from the Black Hills
will execute a routine that you
will remember for years to come.
The Olson family have brought
to arenas across the country their
unique ability do to the unusual.
Through 40 years, the tradition
has prevailed. Enjoy!
Hints for entering produce at fair
■JUUUUUUUL*JL*JL*JULUJLajL*JLIJL*JUL*JL*JLtX*JUUUUUUULLIJUB
Summer is here and it is time
for the Morrow County Fair.
Have you ever had an urge to
enter any of your produce to be
judged at the fair?
To help you do so, Kathryn
Kettel, Oregon State University
Extension agent, has a number of
hints for entering produce at
local fairs this summer.
Get a copy of the fair exhibitors’
handbook. This will contain the
exhibition rules for fruits and
vegetables - the "who, what,
when, where and why" of your
fair
particular
county
competitions.
Choose a group of fruits or
vegetables as closely alike as
possible in color, shape and size.
Judges prefer uniformity.
Entries should be free of
blemishes. Do not enter produce
scarred by garden pests. Discard
vegetables marred by disease,
rough handling or careless
cultivation.
Select normal-sized vegetables
that are ready to be consumed or
cooked, at their best and most
flavorful.
"Vegetables and fruits should
be what’s excepted by industry,"
said Kettel. "Just go look at what
is sold in the grocery stores and
then pick your produce for
contests accordingly."
Choose specimens typical for
the variety in shape, color, and
size. For example, tomatoes are
expected to be evenly round -
Columbia Basin Electric Co-op
don't select oblong tomatoes that
look more like squashes in shape.
Save the strange specimens for
the "weirdest vegetable" contest.
For more information about
entering produce for competition,
contact the Morrow County Fair
office, (541) 676-9474, or the
Morrow County
Extension
Service, 541-676-9642 or 1-800-
342-3664.
Tim Cundell
to sing at fair
The Morrow County Fair
Committee will have a local
favorite back year—Tim Cundell,
the singing cop.
Tim will perform on Saturday,
August 16, from 7-9 p.m. and
Sunday, August 17, at 8:30 a m.
Extend» our congratulation» and heut wùhe» to all participant» in the
M orrow C ounty F air and
O regon T rail R odeo
171 Linden Way, Heppner
WHthTLNID
.
MRURAMCI C1ITT1R. MC.
>
Jim Swanton, Nancy Snider, Stacie Miller
265 N. Main Street, P.O. Box G, lone, OR 97843
(541) 422-7410 • Fax: (541) 422-7124 • 1-800-585-7410
Fir All if fur iBSiraicc Needs
Priid ti lipport Oir (iinty Fair
style, standing on the backs of two
horses.
The 1922 rodeo results show
that J.D. Bellingbrock bested Jack
French in the bucking horse con
test. However, French proved to
be the top hand when it came to
riding bucking mules. Half-mile,
quarter mile and relay race win
ners were Vic Eads, George
Cason, Merle Kirk, Frank
Swaggert, Antone Cunha and
Barney Ward. Eddie Sheriden
placed over French in the calf rop-
mg. But Ralph Reid bested
French and Howard Lane in the
steer roping event.
One of the promoters of that
first
rodeo was Charles Latourell,
1
! an enterprising local car dealer.
He
' arranged to bring a touring
Ford
Exposition into town during
1
the
four
days of rodeo. That cara
1
’ van consisted of 26 trucks and
tractors
carrying or towing addi
1
tional
farm
and construction
1
' equipment as well as a Delco light
plant,
pumping systems, hoists
I
and
many
small tools and acces
1
sories.
That
entourage also fea
;
tured a five piece live jazz orches
tra
1 plus nightly movie shows and
a ■ radio broadcasting set to air con
certs.
'
The success of that first rodeo
would appear to be a difficult act
to follow. But the momentum of
succeeding shows continued to
build. To enhance the rodeos,
large
carnivals came to town
'
complete
with trapeze artists and
1
high
wire acts. An enterprising
1
pilot
gave some citizens their first
I
airplane ride; a thrill for those
who chose not to be airborne from
The legacy of the Wild West
lives on as Heppner celebrates 75
years of rodeo history during the
Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo, Aug. 16-
17. Its colorful past began in Sep-
tember, 1922, when Heppner
businessmen and ranchers orga-
nized that first four day event.
L.V. Gentry, one of those or-
ganizers, donated a field at the
edge of town that continues to be
the rodeo site. Volunteers built
fences with netting wire and poles
cut in the mountains.
According to the Oct. 3, 1922
Heppner Herald, “the track and
arena were in splendid condition
and the bucking and race stock
were full of pep and action" for
the benefit of an estimated total
attendance of4,000. A band from
The Dalles provided musical at
mosphere . Dances were held each
evening in the round open-air
large pavilion that once stood at
the lower edge of Main Street.
The newspaper reported “all the
tnmmin’s of bar and gambling
games attracted much attention
and patronage—under the man
agement of the American Legion
Post.”
Stock for those earlier rodeos
largely came from local ranches.
Potential broncs were brought to
town prior to rodeo to be tried out
by local cowhands. Minus buck
ing chutes, horse were snubbed
and saddled in the middle of the
arena using a strong saddle horse.
As the blindfold was jerked off
and the horse turned loose, the
rider used his hat to fan that bronc
with his free hand. Brone riders
were experienced at “biting the
dirt” as pickup men weren’t part
of the action in those days.
Gerald Swaggert -was only 12
years old when that first rodeo
was held, but he remembers when
free-running mustangs were
rounded up for bucking horse
soires before there was a sanc
tioned rodeo. Like his father.
Frank Swaggert, he rode race
horses in flat, relay and pony ex
press heats. He was also daring
enough to race horses Roman
the back of a bucking horse.
Those earlier rodeo commit
tees patterned rodeo rules and
management after the Pendleton
Round-Up. Heppner rodeo dates
were moved ahead of the
Pendleton Round-Up in Septem
ber. Gradually the first profes
sional cowboys’ association was
formed, called “The Turtles”. As
rodeo circuits developed, the
name was changed to Rodeo
Cowboys Association. This led to
today’s PRCA (Professional Ro
deo Cowboys Association).
The Heppner Rodeo changed
affiliations during the years. It
was sanctioned by the Northwest
Rodeo Association for a time.
Spectators seem to cheer the loud
est for local contestants while the
size of the purse and the luck-of-
the-draw often attracts the most
outstanding professional athletes
traveling distances.
In conjunction with the 1939
Heppner Rodeo, the Morrow
County Fair became part of the
festive week. Morrow County
fairs have been held since 1912,
but not always locally. When held
tn Heppner, the county sheds next
to the dance pavilion were used
for livestock exhibits. The home
economics wares were displayed
in the former Braden-Bell build
ing on Main Street that was home
to John Deere machinery. The 4-
H sewers used the Odd Fellow
Lodge Hall and modeled their
clothes on Main Street.
Historically, rodeo royalty is an
important role. At first young la-
dies with nding skills were cho-
sen as court members by the ro- •
deo committee. Heppner’s Eva
Padberg Griffith was the 1923
queen. Only 14 at the time, Eva
says she chose as her attendant
Jane Allstott. They rode in the
Heppner and Pendleton parades
behind the mounted rodeo direc
tors.
Later, the granges within the
county selected court representa
tives from various areas. Dime-
a-dance (jitney dances) tickets
gave each purchaser a vote on one
of those attendants to become
queen. By 1940, the rodeo com
mittee decided the queen should
be selected from past princesses.
Granges continued to select prin
cesses and to finance their offi
cial attire.
An enterprising rodeo promo
tion in 1940 was a three county
junket by a large group of
Heppner businessmen. Drum
majorettes from the Heppner
school accompanied this tour.
Stops were made at every town
to sell rodeo buttons and promote
the show. But the star performer
was Rosie O’Grady, alias Frank
Turner, disguised as a honky tonk
gal in keeping with the Heppner
Rodeo’s logo, “She’s Wild”.
Turner had to wear this outra
geous costume to a chamber lun
cheon that day as someone hid
Turner’s street clothes.
Tom Wood was the 1940
champion bull nder. Pat Fisk won
all-around honors by placing high
in the calf roping and bronc nding
events. The Warren-Depew
brahmas were used that year.
Newspaper accounts credit the
race horses of Baze, Swaggert.
Turner and Hughes of “being in
fine fetter.” And if anyone lost
their shirt betting on these races.
Wilson’s Men’s Wear on Main
Street advertised western shirts
priced from $1.95 to $3.95.
A cowboy breakfast held Fri
day moming on Willow Creek
was started that year by Lee
Beckner and Jim Kistner. Com
plete with cowboy singers, head
cook Earle Bryant dished up
steaks, hotcakes and all the tnm-
mmgs to around 300 people who
were charged .50 cents a plate.
And Eddie Chinn’s Long Hom
restaurant was such a popular eat
ing spot and Chinn recruited Chi
nese friends from Portland to help
out.
In the early 1940s. the war in
Europe case dark shadows over
America as young men were en
couraged to enlist in the military
to be prepared for national de
fense. Under the leadership of
president Henry Aiken, the rodeo
committee decided the show must
go on. The Heppner Chamber se
cured over 60 guarantors pledg
ing no more than $25 in financial
support. But following the 1941
show, due to U.S. involvement in
a global war, rodeos were sus
pended
The Heppner Rodeo roared
back to life in 1945 after a three
year shutdown as there was an
easing up on food and gas ration-
ing. Big changes came as the
county deeded the block on Main
Street to the city in exchange for
the site of the former Civilian
Conservation Corps headquarters
adjacent to the rodeo field. There,
old wooden dormitory buildings
were used for exhibits for a time
In 1950. the large block exhibit
building was built and other
buildings and bams took shape.
A new grandstand next to the
highway was built. The center
field of the rodeo arena was
seeded to grass Calf ropers no
longer chased calves long dis
tances from the west after cross
ing the racetrack. Cyclone fenc
ing replaced wooden rails. The
Wrangler Riding Club took over
the sponsorship of a Morrow
County Horse Show and the Sun
day morning cowboy breakfast.
As professional athletes fine
tuned their skills, in 1950 Mor
row County amateur contestants
began competing for a champion
calf roping saddle. It has since
been traditional to have one ro
deo performance limited to Mor
row County residents and alumni.
In keeping with the 1990s, the
rodeo committee headed by Jerry
Gentry brought the rodeo arena
up to speed for a PRCA show. A
professional size arena was built
and volunteers spent hours exca
vating clay dirt and replacing it
with sandy loam. New lighting for
both the rodeo arena and the foot
ball field grass area came from
community efforts. Rodeo spon
sors have enriched purse offering
to attract PRCA contestants. And
this year, new elevated permanent
bleachers provide comfortable
seating So the years roll by. And
as Jasper Crawford, editor of the
Heppner paper in the first rodeo
years wrote, “So we see the sun
tanned cowpoke atop the rearin'
mustang as one of the outstand
ing examples of true American
ism.” Rodeo, like Olympic ath
letic events, is a part of this
country’s heritage.
Enter fair flowers
Monday, Aug. 11
Are your flowers asking to be
taken to the fair this year? The
day to enter all flowers, plants
and arrangements this year is
Monday, August 11. The times
will be from 1 -8 p.m.
This change is being made
because all judging will be done
on Tuesday when the fair is
closed to the public. Please took
in your premium book for the
various
flowers
and
arrangements you may enter.
There should be one just for you.
Rene
Ledbetter,
flower
superintendent, and her helpers
are looking forward to a beautiful
variety of flowers to display for
the fairgoers this year.
Vjî